Wedding Themes are Essential!

In today’s wedding planning world, there are no rules. Brides and grooms are encouraged to think out of the box and follow their hearts. But, according to the experts, it makes planning a wedding so much simpler if you do pick a wedding theme. It’s easier to coordinate your invitations, decorations, favors, flowers, dresses, menu and everything else when it revolves around a theme.

Wedding planner and designer Terrica Skaggs, in Ten Secrets to Planning a Successful Wedding Your Friends Will Envy, quotes the saying “If you stand for nothing you’ll fall for anything.” The same thing is true when it comes to wedding themes. If you don’t have one, you’ll end up with numerous unrelated elements just thrown together. Having a theme pulls the whole event together, from food to music to favors, and makes your planning process that much simpler.

If you find yourself thinking, “But I don’t want a theme! I just want a simple wedding where my friends and family will have a great time!” there is good news. A wedding theme doesn’t need to be elaborate or extravagant, such as “Mardi Gras Masquerade” or “Mediterranean Dream.” You just need to pick something that’s meaningful to you, or something that suits your style, and be consistent. Even your colors can be a theme!

Here are some tips on choosing a wedding theme:

1. Think about who you and your fiance are, and what you stand for. What are your hobbies? What are you passionate about? What appeals to you? If you’re all about laid-back fun, than “backyard barbecue” can be your theme (even if you’re not having your wedding in a backyard!). If you both love opera, then make that your theme. If you love nature and preserving the environment, go for a “natural” theme. You can also use cultural or ethnic themes. And hey, if the color yellow makes you happy, then use that as your central theme!

2. If you do pick a color as theme, be consistent. If you choose pink and green, decide what shades you like, and stick to it. Try to use a maximum of three complimentary colors, and keep them in season. “Having specific wedding colors can help give a visual unity, and help your wedding seem more elegant, and even more expensive than it really is,” according to About Weddings.

3. A theme can be ANYTHING.. a season (autumn), an era (Victorian), a country (Italian), a sport (baseball), a flower (sunflowers), a design (polka dots)… Try picking one word (or phrase) as your theme, something that expresses the mood or style of your wedding: Romantic, whimsical, Gothic, modern, Art Deco, moonlight, floral… you get the point!

4. Perk up your venue with little touches that reflect your theme. Implement things like flowers, greenery, candles, sashes, seashells, and lanterns into your decor. In this way you can transform even the plainest venue into something that looks like a million dollars, as well as save yourself some money, and give your theme authenticity. Hang sparkling snowflakes from the ceiling for a winter wedding, use watering cans to hold your centerpieces for a “garden” wedding, or sea shells for an ocean themed wedding.

5. Play music that echos your theme. Whether you have a DJ or a 5-piece band, make sure they are willing to work with your theme. You don’t want a harpist at a Wild West wedding, or 80’s music at your Roaring 20’s celebration.

6. Choose a theme that will go over well with your guests, advises My Wedding Blog. Make sure that your theme is not in poor taste. You most definitely do not want to insult or disgust your guests.

7. If you want to go all out, get help! If you have a specific theme in mind, but you don’t know how to pull it off, hire a coordinator to handle it for you. As professionals, they know exactly how to make your themed wedding a success.

8. Take the theme home! Not everyone chooses to give out wedding favors, but if you do, they should definitely reflect your theme! Visit AmericanBridal for all your themed wedding favor needs!